Its only enough ammunition to fight for 10 days! Overseas Media Inventory of the Deep-seated Problems of Indian Army

Reference News Network reported on March 6 that US media reported on March 3 that the aftermath of the Indian-Pakistani air war continued, and the Indian Air Forces antique MiG-21 fighter plane was shot down by the Pakistani Air Force. In addition to the old weapons and equipment, the incident also exposed the problems of insufficient military expenditure, bureaucratic obstacles to military purchases, and competition for resources among different military categories.

According to the New York Times, the recent air war in Kashmir is the first air conflict between India and Pakistan in nearly 20 years. Although it is not a secret that the Indian army has various problems, in this air battle, the Indian Air Force, facing only half of its forces and only a quarter of its military expenditure, was shot down a MiG-21 fighter plane, which shows the seriousness of the internal problems of the Indian army, and also shocked foreign military observers.

Reported that the actual situation of the Indian army is shocking. According to the forecast made by the Indian government, if a high-intensity conflict breaks out tomorrow, the Indian armys ammunition stockpile will only last 10 days, and 68% of the active weapons and equipment are too old, which can be called antique weapons.

Our army lacks modern weapons and equipment, but it has to carry out military operations in the 21st century, said Gaugoi, an Indian parliamentarian and member of the National Defense Commission. U.S. officials responsible for strengthening ties with Indias allies are also frustrated when they talk about their mission, because Indias serious bureaucracy makes it very difficult to conduct arms sales and joint training exercises with India, and because Indias military expenditure is seriously inadequate, the Army, Navy and Air Forces tend to compete rather than cooperate.

DATA PICTURE: Indian Air Force MiG-21 and Su-30MKI fighter fleets. (Pictures come from the Internet)

DATA PICTURE: Indian Army Artillery Exercise. (Pictures come from the Internet)

Why the Indian Army has been crying poor

Reported that for the Indian army, the budget is its biggest challenge. Indias defense budget in 2018 is about $45 billion, and in January this year it added another $45 billion, but it still cannot meet the needs of military modernization.

According to the report, no matter how much military expenditure the Indian government allocates, distribution is the joint. It is reported that most of Indias defense budget is spent on salaries and pensions for 1.2 million servicemen, and only $14 billion is spent on new weapons and equipment. Despite Indias fifth highest military expenditure in the world, only about a quarter of it spent on new equipment in 2019, relying on the antique MiG-21 as its main fighter.

The report pointed out that although disarmament could allow the Indian army to save more budget for the purchase of modern weapons and equipment, the matter is not so simple. India has been facing unemployment for a long time. Joining the army is one of the ways out for many people. With Indias parliamentary elections to be held in May, disarmament is bound to become a hot topic in the election campaign. Current Prime Minister Modi won the 2014 general election with the slogan of pledging economic reform and providing millions of jobs, but with the approaching of this years general election and the declining domestic support rate, Modi, who is seeking re-election, has put aside his commitment to economic reform and turned to support nationalism.

In addition, the Indian government needs to spend a lot of money on improving peoples livelihood, including improving literacy and building basic sanitation facilities. It is difficult to allocate more money to purchase arms. And the acquisition of weapons is difficult in many countries to decide quickly, especially in India, where bureaucracy is serious.